GlutenTox® Pro Surface Fast– Direct swabbing surface test

GlutenTox® Pro Surface Fast (KT-6406) is the most rapid, specific and sensible immunochromatographic test for the detection of gluten contamination on surfaces. This kit comes with all the necessary components to perform 50 different tests and it is the only kit on the market that has been validated for 5 different surfaces:

Food-grade painted wood

Plastic

Rubber

Sealed ceramic

Stainless steel

These 5 surfaces are the most commonly found in food manufacturing and processing facilities, like commercial kitchens or food processing equipment.

Even after cleaning with alcoholic solutions, some small traces of gluten may be found on these common surfaces. The sources of cross contamination vary, from airborne proteins to kitchenware, and all critical spots should be controlled.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission states that food labeled “gluten free” cannot contain wheat, rye, barley, some varieties of oats, or crossbreed varieties, and any gluten from unavoidable cross-contamination cannot exceed 20 parts per million (ppm).

To avoid gluten contaminations in food (whether it is labeled“gluten free” or does not indicate gluten-containing cereals in the label) it is importantto ensure that all starting ingredient are uncontaminated. It is equally important that the working surfaces on which the food will be processed, like working benches, production lines, and mixers, ovens and kitchen utensils are clean and free of gluten.

GlutenTox® Pro Surface Fast is a user-friendly qualitative test which allows the presence of gluten on surfaces to be measured directly and results to be obtained immediately. The test procedure is extremely brief: just use the strip to swab the desired surface and introduce this strip into the buffer solution. If the surface is highly contaminated the positive result (a red line of the strip) will appear almost instantaneously. If no red line appears it is important to wait up to 10 minutes for the definitive result to exclude any faint contamination. If the surface or any utensil is contaminated we advice to clean it thoroughly and repeat the test.

Our internal and external validation study showed no cross-reactivity (false positives) and no false negatives, as well as 100% specificity and 100% sensitivity. GlutenTox® Pro Surface also shows an excellent correlation with the Official Method for Laboratory Analysis (R5- ELISA Method).

With GlutenTox PRO Surface Fast, a negative surface test indicates that if a kilogram of absolutely gluten-free dough were kneaded on the surface, the dough would still have less than 1 ppm of gluten. This test is the most sensitive kit currently on the market. The level of gluten on surfaces is not directly quantifiable in ppm because the surface itself is not consumed. The real aim of the test is to avoid even tiny traces of gluten, since even a small concentration of gluten may mean an important environmental contamination source.